Our View

It has been a whale of a season for Lancaster High School junior swimmer Jory Pettit.
Pettit capped the 2011 swim campaign with an individual state crown in the 50-yard freestyle at the recent Class AAAA state swim meet.
Pettit brilliantly topped a tough field, edging Byrnes High School’s Alex Wood by a slim margin.
Pettit’s winning 21.47 was the result of a fast finish. Wood, who won the 100-yard freestyle state crown, was a close second in 21.61.

If you travel early mornings on White Street during the work week, you can see them. Dawn has barely faded and they’re already lined up, waiting for the doors to open to the S.C. Employment Security Commission.

Chronic and increasing unemployment. Home foreclosures. Loss of health insurance. More homeless families. All of these factors paint a bleak economic picture. But this is not a startling revelation. We’re all fully aware of our economic conditions. But some recently released data does reveal some startling statistics.
According to the 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the U.S. Census, the economy is having a negative impact on the most vulnerable of society – children.

If you have the misfortune of experiencing a life-threatening ordeal like a heart attack or stroke, you do have the good fortune of having a quality hospital nearby to help save your life.
Doug Arbour, chief executive officer of Springs Memorial Hospital in Lancaster, is living proof.
On a night in mid-May, Arbour awoke with what he thought was indigestion.
It wasn’t. It was worse, much worse. In this case a massive heart attack.

The town of Kershaw has taken the first step on the trail.
The trail, in this case, is the Carolina Thread Trail, which will feature greenways and other natural sites throughout 15 counties in the Carolinas.
Kershaw and other area entities have pledged their support in theory, but Kershaw’s latest backing of the master plan means the chance for funding that will go for the creation, or enhancement of pathways here.
In this day of “going green,” it’s a natural move now and for our future.

The Performing Arts Series has been a popular event at the University of South Carolina Lancaster’s Bundy Auditorium.
Few can find little to complain about in the events, which have featured quality entertainment here sponsored by See Lancaster, SC, which oversees the PAS.
“The complaint I hear almost daily is the cost of tickets,” said Jimola Wade, who manages the Performing Arts Series. “Our community has spoken and I want them to know that I’m listening. I can’t change things overnight, but I’m working hard at it.”

It’s almost show time for the sixth annual Fall into Fun festival in Indian Land.

Saturday’s festival at Indian Land Middle School promises to be a lot of fun for everyone from toddlers to teens and older folks, all for a good cause.

This year’s event will raise funds for the Indian Land Rotary Club’s local projects, such as Del Webb Library programs, school media center materials, dictionaries for IL third-graders, scholarships for local students and more. You can do your part by coming to the festival.

Caregivers play a special role in the lives of the ones they tend to each day.
Their tasks and challenges are great, sometimes outweighing the needed thanks.
That’s why those dedicated folks are special.
Recently a Lancaster caregiver, Karen Hoffman, was honored for her work as a caring caregiver.
Hoffman was presented the local Family Caregiver of the Year Award, an annual honor given by Homewatch Caregivers, which is an international provider of full-service home care, and co-sponsored by the National Family Caregivers Association.

Ten years and the images are still as vivid as if it was only 10 minutes ago. The horrific sight of smoke billowing from the World Trade Center after terrorist-piloted suicide planes slammed into the buildings.
Then there was the damage at the seemingly impregnable Pentagon and the plane crash in the Pennsylvania field, which, if not for some civilian heroes, might have struck the U.S. Capitol and killed key national leaders.

For most of us, Monday will be a day off. It’s Labor Day, a federal holiday that celebrates the contributions of America’s 153.2 million workers. Schools will be closed, as will government offices, banks and many other businesses.

Labor Day’s roots extend back to Sept. 5, 1882, when American labor leader Peter J. McGuire organized the first parade of about 10,000 workers in New York City. The Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary was inspired after seeing a labor festival in Canada.